The three trends that worry the leaders of the tourism sector
On the eve of the Web in Travel Singapore event, which will be held from October 2 to 4 under the title "The human revolution" or "The human revolution", three leaders of the tourism sector have told us about the emerging trends that concern them
With AI developing faster than ever and climate change becoming more urgent, these leaders discuss what they fear and what they're doing about it.
Three things worrying APAC travel leaders:
1.Stay agile in the face of the constant evolution of consumer demands.
"In recent weeks there has been a significant increase in demand for both short-haul and long-haul travel, especially Chinese group travel, which has increased 3.5-fold compared to last month," says Boon. Sian Chai, Managing Director and Vice President of International Markets at Trip.comGroup. "We are actively collaborating with our partners to tailor packages for diverse groups of travelers, many of whom explore destinations such as Japan, Thailand and Singapore, which are among the most sought after locations."
“What really keeps me up at night is the challenge of staying agile and responsive to these ever-evolving consumer demands, while continually improving the value we bring to our customers in this ever-changing travel landscape.”
2.Ensure that sustainability progress is not hampered by “greenwashing”.
"Achieving environmentally friendly travel is difficult, but not impossible," says Loic Dujardin, Head of ESG at Traveloka. I believe that every step, however big or small, counts." Research has shown that Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing region when it comes to sustainable tourism, as consumers here are increasingly more aware of their carbon footprint A collective effort driven by engagement, from industry players to our consumers, will pave the way to a greener future.
"At Traveloka, we have partnered with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) to provide training to our partner hotels towards GSTC accredited certification. We have also launched a climate action pilot box for users in Singapore, and we have plans to roll out more sustainable initiatives to offer travelers comprehensive, high-quality products and services."
3.Cybersecurity risks associated with the evolution of technologies.
"With technology evolving at breakneck speeds, cybersecurity is something that keeps me up at night," said Doris Goh, VP Commercial, at Como Hotels. "The number of compromised access scenarios and the increasing sophistication of cybercrime is an ongoing challenge for the industry. Data privacy is of the utmost importance to our business; we are prioritizing staff training and regulatory compliance to ensure that we can continue to safeguard our business and our customers from these threats."
Find out more about what's exciting and terrifying APAC travel leaders at Web in Travel's main session, The Heart of Tech & Product, on October 3, where Airbnb General Counsel Darrell Chan will speak with Karen Expedia's Bolda, Wego founder Ross Veitch, Travelport's Tom Kershaw and Google's Gianni Marostica.